1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to exercising devices and more particularly to exercising devices for developing hand, wrist, forearm and pectoral muscles.
2. Prior Art
Although exercising devices exist for developing the muscles of the hand, wrist and forearm, such devices possess serious limitations. One such prior art device is comprised of a weight suspended on a line from a rotatably mounted shaft. The user grips the shaft with both hands then twists same so as to cause the weight to be lifted. The primary disadvantage of this device is that it is very bulky and cannot be easily moved from one location to another.
A portable exercising device for developing the hand and arm muscles is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,084,547. This device includes two coaxially mounted tubular members coupled together by a torsion bar made of nylon. The user exercises by gripping the device with one tubular member in each hand and twisting the members in opposite directions. A similar device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,132,861 except the nylon torsion bar is replaced by a spring element. Although both of these devices are compact and easily transported, the rotational resistance is created by rotating the gripping members in opposite directions. The antagonist muscle group in one limb therefore opposes the agonist group in the other limb with the maximum force exerted being determined by the weakest muscle group. Thus, the strongest muscles are not adequately exercised using the devices disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,084,547 and 3,132,861.
The subject invention overcomes the limitations of the above-described prior art devices. As will become apparent, the subject device is compact and may be easily transported. Morever, the device permits efficient and thorough exercise of all the relevant muscle groups inasmuch as the opposing force may be manually varied and is independent of the strength of any particular muscle group. In addition, the subject invention is sturdy and durable in construction and is inexpensive to manufacture.